


Honestly

by esperjester



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (and let's be real -, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, I wound up tagging Sightshipping because I figured some of you would hate it, Isis is the only reason Kaiba and Pegasus have a slightly functional business relationship ha, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Dark Side Of Dimensions, Single Parent Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, if another one become big later on i'll add it too!, in case you were on the fence because you're iffy about child OCs, it's hardly a thing but I figured I'd give fair warning, it's me so there's probably gonna be thiefshipping and deathshipping implied in here somewhere), it's the fic no one asked for but i wrote anyways~, other ships may cameo in the background but i just tagged the big ones, thanks for coming along for the ride~, the main child OC you'll see here is Jonouchi's son btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-18 04:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21505222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esperjester/pseuds/esperjester
Summary: There's been a recent attempt on Seto's life but rather than keep his head down, to Mokuba's distress, Kaiba is determined to go about his business as usual - in this case, traveling home to Domino to host a mini tourney.  At the same time, Jounouchi has gotten himself reacquainted with Domino's seedy underbelly, serving as hired muscle in order to make enough money to support his son, who suffers from the same condition his sister once did.When his son learns the truth, he does the only sensible thing he can think of: Crash Kaiba's tournament and challenge Seto to a high stakes duel where the winner earns a boon of their choice. For him, it's a chance to win enough money to free his father from his gang and have enough leftover funding to fix his eyesight. Normally Kaiba would laugh at such a request, but when the kid won't relent he decides to use the opportunity to teach him a lesson about running his mouth to the wrong person.When the Red-Eyes Black Dragon gets summoned to the field, though, Kaiba starts to realize exactly why he was so annoyed in the first place...
Relationships: Honda Hiroto | Tristan Taylor/Kawai Shizuka | Serenity Wheeler, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Unspecified Former Love Interest (female), Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi, Pegasus J. Crawford | Maximillion Pegasus/Ishizu Ishtar
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FlutterFallA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlutterFallA/gifts).



> Full disclosure, I had a terrible time naming this and hit shuffle on Spotify and Cartel's "Honestly" was the first thing to pop up. X'D It fit so well though that I was like, well I guess it's meant to be! (Hence the title!)
> 
> This is a fic no one asked for but FlutterFallA is the best roommate ever and indulged in me rambling about this last semester before graduating and now I have fun plans for Kaiba and Joey (Jonouchi in the story though; I almost always use the Japanese names for YGO fics!) as they enter what can only be described as a rom-com gone wrong... Enjoy! Thanks for stopping in!

“Seto.”

“Enough, Mokuba.”

“No. Let someone else officiate – we have to get to the bottom of this.”

“I’ve been running this qualifier for the past five years, Mokuba. I’m not about to let a threat—

“ _Seto._ You were shot at. Can we please, _please_ talk about this for more than five seconds?” Mokuba pleaded, exasperated as his brother continued to rummage about the room and gather his belongings. “Isono, help me out here!”

“Mister Kaiba, sir... While I’d hate to overstep—"

“Then don’t.”

“Seto, we’re worried about you! Can you— just—! Hold on a second!” Mokuba reached out and grabbed his brother’s hand, forcing him to turn around and look him in the eye.

Mokuba had much grown taller in the years following the Aigami fiasco, which was a little over a decade behind them. Taller than Seto, in fact, which made it much harder for the elder Kaiba to brush him off and ignore the way he had when they were children. If anyone had ever doubted that they were related before, those doubts had certainly been quieted following Mokuba’s rapid growth spurt going into high school. 

Now in his late twenties, Mokuba was a force to be reckoned with. His eyes were still much kinder than Seto’s were, but they had a certain something to them now that could make him feel off-putting whenever he was cross with someone and it was incredibly similar to Seto’s usual, stern gaze.

Now finding himself the subject of Mokuba’s disapproval, Seto noted it was a bit eerie being the object of his brother’s scorn not because of Mokuba chastising him (Mokuba’s protests about Seto’s more self-destructive behaviors had actually become increasingly common in their adult lives – something Seto both loathed and appreciated), but because for the first time he realized it was a bit like looking in a mirror.

Despite not sharing too many distinctive features, he couldn’t deny that the look in Mokuba’s eyes was something oh-so- _Seto_ that it actually caught him off guard, and he faltered when he went to pull his arm away – something Mokuba immediately took advantage of.

Mokuba sighed and his grip on his brother’s coat sleeve tightened as he tried to make his brother understand why this was such a horrible idea. “Seto, I know that this is important to you. It’s important to me, too.”

Despite not generally being one for sentiment, generally, Seto made certain that each year he returned to Domino and hosted a small-scale tourney for the children who wouldn’t normally qualify for his Duelist Academy because they lacked the funds to attend – it also served as a means of allowing him to scout out talent in the up-and-coming duelists. While the Academy had outreach programs around the globe, this was the only one he had personally established.

He’d never missed a year of it and didn’t intend to start now.

“This isn’t about sentiment, Mokuba. This is about showing other people that I won’t be intimidated by such cheap and cowardly tactics as—”

“They shot a bullet at you, Seto.” Mokuba reminded him, staring him down. “ _A bullet._ ”

“I know, Mokuba. And we have people on that, don’t we, Isono?”

“Yes, sir. I assembled a specialized team for a personal investigation, and _Industrial Illusions_ has issued a formal apology. Mr. Pegasus himself said that they would work with the police to ensure that it never happens again, should you still feel you’d like to return to America for the conference planned next month.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“ _NO._ ”

“Mokuba—”

“Seto. I’m sorry, but as your brother I really have to put my foot down.” He stated firmly. “Someone’s gunning for you and I really think you should keep a low profile for the time being. Conduct your meetings with your VR technology, or send me instead, but I really think this isn’t the time to be holding a tournament—”

“Mokuba.” Seto cut him off. “I understand your concern. I do,” He moved to loosen his brother’s hold on his arm, hand lingering an extra moment on Mokuba’s before releasing it. _‘And I appreciate it.’_ The thought, like so many others, went unsaid as he continued. “but I refuse to live my life based on hypothetical scenarios. There’s no point in worrying over if or when someone will try and do whatever...”

“I wouldn’t call _shooting you_ whatever.” Mokuba mumbled under his breath.

“... I’ve pissed a lot of people off running KaibaCorp. You know that. It’s part of why you were taken when we were younger.” Seto almost grimaced when he saw how Mokuba shuddered. That was still a sore point for the two of them – Mokuba because he felt he’d only been a liability for his brother growing up and Seto because he’d failed to ensure a safe environment for his brother – but it was the truth. “There was major backlash when I shut down our corporation’s weapon manufacturing teams and shifted the company towards games. Frankly, I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has for someone to make a move like this. I’m not surprised someone with a grudge is finally taking action.”

“That is really, really not what I wanted to hear you say.” Mokuba sighed. “But I do see your point. Still, you should at least hire a bodyguard or—”

“No.”

“Seto, I understand your concern, but I’ve had Isono in charge of vetting several—”

“No.”

“For fuck’s sake, Seto!” Mokuba growled, at wit’s end. “I get it! You don’t trust people! Hell, I don’t really either after the shit we grew up dealing with!” He said, and it was true. From Gozaburo to the Big Five to a slew of incompetent and treacherous subordinates, the Kaiba brothers didn’t have the best of luck when it came to hiring dependable and loyal help. “But you can’t just risk your life walking around like a moving target just because—”

“Mokuba. I said no. That’s final.”

Mokuba stared, deadpan at his stubborn, _idiot_ of a brother surprised at his own lack of disbelief regarding his brother’s decision. Resigning himself to the fact that Seto would never back down out of pure stubbornness, he settled on attempting the next best thing: Compromise.

“Fine. Then how about this? I’ll back off and let you go host this tournament. No whining, no finger wagging or lectures. Fine. _But_ , I’m coming with you—”

“ _Mokuba—_ ”

“ _anddd_ ,” Mokuba continued, ignoring his brother’s protest. “While I’m there I’m going to go through a list of applicants with Isono and finding you a bodyguard.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“It’d make me feel better if you had one. Just—” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Seto would you please at least consider it? Please?? It’ll get me off your back and it’ll make me feel a lot better about you being out and about with everything going on.”

“...”

“...”

“... I will _consider_ a bodyguard.”

Isono smiled awkwardly from his position in the corner of the room as they hashed out the specifics of what Kaiba meant when he said “consider” – amazed that this was, in fact, the life he’d chosen to lead.

\--

“Kouta...! We can’t do that!”

“Relax, cous’, it’ll be fine.”

“We’re gonna get in trouble...!”

“Only if we get caught!” Kouta laughed, mousy brown hair falling into his eyes just in time for him to push it back and away again. He was in desperate need of a haircut.

The other boy frowned. “That’s exactly what’s going to happen though!”

“Tetsu,” The older boy started, smiling reassuringly as he reached out to pat his cousin on the shoulder. “I promise it’ll be fine. If anyone is going to get in trouble here, it’ll be me since I’m the oldest.”

He still seemed uncertain. “.... And you’re sure this is going to help Uncle Katsu?”

“Absolutely positively!” Kouta asserted, his face beaming. “Cross my heart and hope to die!” He promised, making the appropriate motions as he swore it. He laughed. “After this, we’ll have enough money to pay off his debt _and_ make those creeps leave him alone!”

It took a minute, but eventually Kouta’s positive attitude and reassurance seemed to placate the younger boy, who nodded in agreement, hazel eyes gleaming behind his glasses as he tilted his head to look at the poster in his hands for the umpteenth time that day.

“How do you know it’ll work?”

“Because!” He insisted, as though it explained itself, only elaborating when Tetsu’s raised brow prompted further explanation. “Because Seto Kaiba never turns down a challenge!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry I've been a bit absent lately! I started a new job and am trying to get into grad school, so writing has been a bit on the back burner. ^^; But, I do have a new chapter here for you, and I hope you'll all like it! 
> 
> My goal is to update "Dark Sanctuary" next, then start alternating updating that with this. I also have a cute Thief/Citronshipping fic planned/started, but I'm going to finish that before posting the first chapter so I can have that being released on some kind of schedule. (In other words, I should be more active going forward so please keep a lookout if you're interested! And as always thank you for your time!)

Despite not being one for sentiment, Seto had to admit that Domino City was where he found he was the most at ease, though he’d never say it aloud.

As the limousine drove him and Mokuba past his old high school and towards the venue for the tourney, he couldn’t help but think about how much times had changed. While Domino had by no means ever been a sleepy town, corruption and chaos had thrived there long before he made it his home, it had certainly shifted into a bustling, busy city in the region.

Part of that was due to his influence, no doubt. After he established the first Kaiba Land in the area, there had been a massive influx of tourism. After Battle City and the use of his duel disks system became more common, and following the brief decline of _Industrial Illusions_ when Pegasus fell “ill” after Duelist Kingdom, Domino essentially became the unofficial dueling capital of the world. Its status was all but cemented as such a few years later when Yugi Mutou decided to base his small gaming company out of his grandfather’s store.

Kaiba smirked as he thought of Yugi. Despite his best efforts to do so, Yugi had never truly been able to move out of the shadow cast by his time as the “King of Games” – or rather his time sharing the title with Atem, as Kaiba knew now. He wondered if that bothered him at all. In truth, he and Yugi had collaborated on a few smaller scale projects over the years, their reputations having made their opinions incredibly desirable in the gaming community, and had even appeared with him as special guests at a few Duel Monster Conventions, and despite it being evident Yugi was more focused on developing his own games and personal projects, he never acted annoyed when enthusiastic fans came up to him wanting to talk about his time as a duelist.

Kaiba, himself, still occasionally participated in the odd tournament here and there for Duel Monsters, but ever since his final duel with Atem, he’d found himself in an administrative role more often than not. It was bittersweet, as he’d always loved the thrill he got dueling powerful opponents, but most of those opponents were no longer around – having moved on into the afterlife or on to other pursuits.

“Hey, it’s good to see you!”

Speak of the devil.

Mokuba smiled as Yugi approached the window of their limo, now parked in front of Kame Games. “Good to see you, too, Yugi! How have you been?”

Despite the passage of time, the years had been kind to Yugi. He was still short and his hair was still wild, but it was impossible to mistake him for a child now. In addition to a couple extra inches of height gained towards the end of high school, his eyes had sharpened and matured in a way that practically screamed "Atem" but retained the soft, kind nature of the boy he'd always been. He'd long since replaced the formerly ever-present Millennium Puzzle - though a small medal in a simplified likeness now rested against his clavicle, supported by a small metal chain. One thing which had remained entirely unchanged, however, was the sincerity of his smile, now directed towards them.

“Things have been pretty good around here, lately! And I’m happy to say that your tournament is being well-received, as always! All the Duel Disks here have sold out, and I’ve passed out all the ones you distributed for the kids who qualified but couldn’t afford to compete otherwise.”

“That’s great! And thanks, again, for agreeing to distribute those.”

“Anything for an old friend.”

“Hm.”

“Seto may not admit it, but he appreciates it, too.” Mokuba said with a roll of his eyes. “Your shop is one of the few places we’ve been able to dispense those without merchandise getting “lost” or “accidentally being sold” instead.”

“I still can’t believe how often that’s happened!”

“Heh, that’s Domino for you though, right?”

Yugi laughed. “I’d like to think it’s gotten better over the years, but I guess you’re right. Jonouchi, Honda, and I once almost got killed over a pair of shoes here, after all.” He gestured back towards the store. “I was about to close up for the day, if you’d like to come in.”

“Thanks, but we have a few things we have to take care of before tomorrow’s tournament.”

“I understand. I’d still love to have you drop by before you go, though. It’s been a long time.”

“Stop giving me that pitiful look, Yugi. I’m fine.” Seto sighed, unable to ignore his gaze any longer.

“Seto!”

“It’s alright, Mokuba. And sorry Kaiba, I know you hate beating around the bush. I heard that you had a close call though, are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Someone _shot_ at you, Seto.” Mokuba chided. “You are not fine.”

Seto sighed. “If there’s anyone you should worry about, it’s Mokuba. He hasn’t been able to calm down since it happened.”

“I don’t blame him, Kaiba! You have to be careful!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”

“As much fun as this conversation is,” Seto cut in, irritated. “We do have places to be and things to do before tomorrow morning’s qualifiers. You understand.”

Mokuba sighed, shooting Yugi an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s alright! And like I said, I need to lock up anyway. How long do you guys plan on being in town?”

“We’ll be here for awhile after the tournament ends, unless something comes up.”

“Let me know when you have a moment to spare. I’d love to have you both over for dinner before you head out again. And Anzu’s cooking is to die for!” He beamed, and Seto had to fight his gag reflex over exactly how lovestruck Yugi had managed to remain after almost ten years of marriage.

“That sounds great! We haven’t had a real homecooked meal in forever, have we Seto?” Mokuba smiled, ignoring his brother’s subsequent, noncommittal grunt. “I’ll call you after the tournament ends and we’ll pick a day. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Seto comes this time.”

“I’m looking forward to it!” Yugi laughed before stepping away from the limo so they could pull off. “It’s good seeing you again; take care of yourselves!”

“Bye Yugi!” Mokuba smiled, waving as they pulled away. As the store faded from sight, he turned to his brother with a frown. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to make small talk with him.”

“Mokuba.”

“I know he’s not the same _Yugi_ that you’d like to talk to, but he is one of the only people outside our company, other than me and Isis, that takes the time to try and check up on you, you know?”

“I don’t need checking up on.”

“I know. But...”

Seto blinked and turned his attention to Mokuba as he trailed off. “Mokuba?”

“... I don’t know.” He shrugged, staring off into space.

Seto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re fixating...”

“I can’t help it.”

He tried to pick some imaginary lint off his pants leg so he wouldn’t have to look his brother in the eye as they lapsed into silence for the rest of the ride.

\--

“Hehehehehehehheheh!!!” Kouta chuckled as he propped himself up on the railing, swinging his legs this way and that way as he waited for the first of the tournament’s staff to arrive and turn on the lights in the dueling arena. His younger cousin, Tetsuya, sat low on the ground, hunched over as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re so full of energy...”

“How could I not be? I’m hyped! What’s wrong with you? I told you you should go to sleep early last night because we were coming here first thing!”

“I couldn’t sleep, I was too worried about today.”

“I already told you, if anything happens, it’s my fault not yours. Er,” He squinted, staring at his cousins face. “I think ya smudged your glasses a bit there, cous’.”

Tetsuya groaned, pulling off his frames to inspect the glass, frowning as he found the bottom left side was smeared and started cleaning it with his t-shirt. “That’s what you say, but you know that isn’t true. Dad’ll kill me if he finds out I helped cover for you.”

“Uncle Hiro’s all bark no bite, you’ll be fine. And even if he’s mad, your mom will get why we did it.”

“Uh-huh...” Tetsuya hummed, unconvinced.

“Urghhh stop being such a worry-wart you’re making me feel jittery!” Kouta whined. “I need to be on my A-game for this to work – and it will! And then all our problems’ll be gone!”

“How are you so sure this’ll work, anyway?”

“Tetsu, my friend, my cousin, my compatriot...”

“I don’t know that word but I’m pretty sure you’re not using it the way you should.”

“Whatever!” He dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand as his cousin shrugged.

“Just saying.”

“My point is, I can’t lose with this on my side!” He gestured towards a well-worn deck strapped in the deck slot of his equally worn but well-maintained Battle City issue duel disk, rudimentary compared to the current models but no less functional. “As long as I believe in the Heart of the Cards and am fighting for something I believe in, there’s no way this can go wrong!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I swear we're getting more into actual plot next chapter. I meant to start the duel itself, here, but it felt more natural to end it here rather than make this one ridiculously long chapter. That being said, I feel I should go ahead and disclose the child OCs you'll see, that I have planned so far, here in case any of them make you want to drop this. (I hope not - but I also understand because I tend to be a bit iffy/picky about works with OCs in them.) Feel free to skip this list if you want to organically find out which kid belongs to which couple.
> 
> Thank you, again, for taking time out of your day to read this update! I appreciate it and hope you're enjoying the story so far! <3
> 
> THE OC CHILDREN (SPOILER LIST):  
> Jonouchi Katsuya and ???* - Jonouchi Kouta (♂)  
> Honda Hiroto and (Kawai) Shizuka - Honda Tetsuya (♂)  
> Mutou Yugi and (Mazaki) Anzu - Mutou Kagome (♀) and Mutou Roku (♂)  
> Pegasus and Isis (Ishtar) Crawford - Selim P. Crawford (♂)
> 
> * - For the sake of this story, Kouta does not have a set mother. She can be whoever you'd like.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I vanished for so long!! I'm still not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out, but I'm determined to power on and keep moving forward with the plot! It's too enjoyable a story to work on to not. :)

Seto and Mokuba made sure to get to the tourney two hours early to prepare, well before most of Domino was awake, but they weren’t surprised to see a few young duelists sitting outside the colosseum fussing over their decks and testing out various functions on their newly acquired Duel Disks.

The kids all stared in awe as they watched the Kaiba brothers approach the building, many having only seen them from afar onstage or on televised  _ Duel Monsters _ events. 

“Heheheh… You’re popular as ever, Seto.” Mokuba chuckled as a couple of the kids called out their thanks to Kaiba for sponsoring them for the event. 

Today was the opening ceremony and the start of the preliminaries; the duelists would be set loose throughout Kaiba Land in a small scale version of what happened years ago in Battle City until they determined the finalists. Even so, they knew from previous events that the kids who wouldn’t have had the means or funds of participating despite their skills tended to arrive early to prepare and, usually, to scream their thanks at Seto and Mokuba for the opportunity.

A wave and a nod from Seto settled most of them, the young duelists bouncing up and down with anticipation as they began to eagerly discuss among themselves how exciting everything was. Mokuba smiled at them, stopped a moment short of entering the building, and thanked them all for attending and being so enthusiastic. As he wished them good luck in the tourney to come, Kaiba waited at the door a few paces ahead, secretly grateful that while he didn’t have the patience for pleasantries and platitudes his brother seemed to be gifted with them. 

While he was no longer quite as callous as he’d been as a teen, Seto had never quite mastered interacting with people outside of a business setting. The only person he truly felt comfortable holding personal conversations with was Mokuba, so he was more than happy to let him handle the unscripted mess that was pre-tourney pleasantries.

As the kids let out various promises and declarations that they would do their best, Mokuba turned and the two finally started to enter the colosseum where their main stage was hosted. 

“SETO KAIBA!!” A young boy with shaggy brown hair called out, running forward from the crowd and sidestepping two guards who made a move to block his approach by diving under the rails separating the Kaibas from the crowd and stopped a few feet short of the two. “I challenge you to a duel!”

Kaiba raised a brow, impressed by his candor even though the child was obviously an idiot. 

Mokuba groaned as the guards ran up behind the kid and snatched him up by his arms to carry him off. He held his face in one palm as he cursed under his breath -  _ “elite bodyguards”  _ his ass. That would have to be handled as soon as this was over. “Kid, that’s great, but we really don’t have time for this right now… Maybe-”

“I won’t take no for an answer!” He yelled, indignant, as he dangled between the two guards by their arms. “I’m gonna kick your butt and then you’ll owe me a boon!”

Despite himself, Seto let out a laugh, a loud and disarming sound. “A boon, hmm? Bold of you, kid.” 

“Are you too chicken to accept?!” 

“HA! Listen, kid, I don’t know who you think you are but--” Seto froze as he caught sight of what was on the boy’s arm. There was no mistaking it, while the other duelists had arrived wearing bright and shiny models of his latest Duel Disk, the kid’s was the earliest model he’d distributed. It was a classic Battle City Duel Disk, well-worn but well-maintained, with a heavily played deck set in its base. He frowned. “Where did you get that?”

“Does it matter? Are you gonna duel me or not?!”

Mokuba growled, clearly fed up. “Look, kid—”

“And what happens when you lose?” Seto asked. His brother turned to stare at him in awe.

“I won’t lose! But say I do? I’ll do whatever you want!”

“That’s rich. There’s nothing you can do that I couldn't do myself.” 

“Well, that’s what I’ve got. A boon for a boon! Unless you’re scared?”

“Hmph.” Something about this child… Irritated him. Made him want to crush him. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, exactly, that pissed him off, but it seemed impossible to ignore. He motioned for the guards to lower the child to the ground. The kid continued to stare intently at him from where he was deposited. How  _ interesting _ .

“Seto…” Mokuba murmured, concerned.

Seto grinned, an eerie and unsettling sight. “Alright, kid. If I win, I want that Disk on your arm.”

A flash of panic overtook the child’s face for a moment, before he nodded. “... Alright.”

“KOUTA YOU CAN’T!!” Another child, a smaller one without a deck or Disk in sight called from behind the railing. “It isn’t worth it! Let’s just go home!”

“Relax, Tetsu. I know what I’m doing.”

“But-!!”

“Tetsuya.” Kouta said with an air of finality. “It will be fine, I promise. You can trust me.”

The other boy frowned, but after exchanging a look with his companion appeared to come to accept his decision. “... Ok.”

Kaiba snapped his fingers and pointed at the guards who had belatedly apprehended Kouta. “You two. Out of my sight.”

“Sir…!”

“ _ Now _ .”

Mokuba sighed. “You heard him. Report to Isono, for now.”

“Everyone else, into the colosseum. This won’t take long.”

\--

“Jonouchi, it’s still not too late to change your mind.” Yugi frowned. “Anzu and I have discussed it and we’re more than happy to help. And I know Shizuka and Honda feel the same.”

“Nah, man. I can’t do that to you all. Not when I have the means to take care of it on my own.”

“But Jonouchi-”

“I’m serious. You, Anzu, Shizuka, and Hiroto need to be focused on your family’s futures. If I didn’t have another option, then… Well, the fact of the matter is that I do have another option and I’m not about to put any of the weight on the rest of you if I can help it.”

“I.. I understand.” Yugi said, face heavy. And he did understand, but that didn’t make any of this easier. 

“I mean, I’ll miss them. They got me through some of the best and the worst times of my life and helped me turn a lot of things around, but if selling ‘em will help Kouta then that’s what needs to happen.”

“I understand.” Yugi accepted the case with a frown. “When do you meet the guy?”

“Otogi found the guy and put us in contact, so we’re gonna meet at his store around five today so he can make sure there are no misunderstandings and everything goes smooth.”

“Who is it again?”

“Some collector called Moriyama Kinji. Apparently he’s a big fan of the “classic duelists” and collects stuff from before everyone started the new summoning mechanics.”

“Before we could summon a bunch of monsters on our first turns, you mean?” He chuckled.

“Right?” Jonouchi laughed in agreement. “I swear, man. I’m glad I left competitive dueling behind around the time synchro summoning became a thing. It’s not bad, just not really my schtick, you know?”

“I completely understand.”

“Kouta’s a bit mad at me, though.” Jonouchi frowned, chewing on his lower lip.

“He’ll thank you one day. You’re a good father, Jonouchi. Kouta will understand why you did what you did.” Yugi assured him. Jonouchi sighed, still not convinced.

“I hope so. Right now, though, he’s pretty pissed.”

“He’s still a kid.”

Jonouchi hummed in response. “I just hope it works out in the end, you know?”

“It worked for Shizuka. I’m sure it’ll go fine.”

“Yeah, but Shizuka’s eyes weren’t near as bad at such a young age. She always had poor sight but, Yug,” He grimaced. “Kouta’s eyes are almost as bad as hers were when she was fourteen and he’s just ten. Every time we go get his eyes looked at he needs new contacts because they’re changing so fast.”

“Jonouchi, Kouta will be fine. He’s a tough kid and he’s got a great support system. You’ll get the money, get him scheduled, and he’ll come out never having to worry about his vision like this ever again.”

Before Jonouchi could reply, loud footsteps at the door caught their attention. They looked over just in time to see Honda tearing through the game store’s door.

“Honda, what-”

“We’ve got a problem!”

“What do you mean “we’ve got a problem”? What’s-”

"A buddy of mine at work has a kid who is really into Duel Monsters and, well... He showed me this." Honda held up his phone, turning the screen towards them. “There’s like, a hundred livetweets talking about some kid challenging Kaiba to a match.”

“Alright, so what? Kaiba’s hosting a tournament, isn’t he? Not that unusual.”

“Does this kid,” Honda scrolled down and tapped an image, enlarging it before showing it to them again. “Look familiar to either of you??”

Shaggy brown hair and brown eyes... A familiar baggy orange hoodie’s sleeve pushed up to accommodate a duel disk far too large for its user to properly wield.

Jonouchi stared, dumbfounded. He was quiet for a moment as he processed just who he was staring at. Then recognition hit him and he screamed.

**_“WHAT—”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly really can't wait to get to the bodyguard/found family chapters I have planned so I've found it more difficult to write the opening chapters. ^^; 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this update, though! I'm trying to get better about updating more consistently so I hope to see you all again soon!


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